Canon has finally announced firmware to address the total lack of manual control (save white balance and exposure compensation) that one has for video recording on the 5D Mark II. Still missing in action is manual audio level control…….maybe they don’t want to kill the sales of the new BeachTek adapter? I wouldn’t mind, though–it’s $380 that I don’t want to spend!

The firmware will not be available for download until 2 June, but at least it’s coming!

Tags: Canon, EOS 5D Mark II, firmware, video
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A RadioShack 2CR5 that I purchased earlier tonight...

Tonight I was photographing at Rob Hulett’s mixed martial-arts training gym for a story on some of the people training for the “Battle at the Blue Note” on Friday in Columbia, Mo. as part of a group project in my Advanced Techniques course. I’ve been using the Canon ST-E2 wireless flash commander quite a bit recently, and on my mental “to-do” list I had added “get a spare battery,” but that never did happen. As luck would have it, the battery that’s been plugging along inside of it since 2007 chose tonight to kick the bucket.

“Fortunately,” I thought, “there’s a grocery store across the street.” The 2CR5 that runs the ST-E2 used to be a very common lithium battery, and I know that I purchased the previous two batteries for the ST-E2 at places like grocery stores and pharmacies. However, not the Gerbes/Kroger, nor two Walgreens carried the 2CR5. Out of absolute desperation, I asked my GPS to find a Radio Shack and, sure enough, they had one…….for $20. No joke. This is a battery that should cost no more than $12. I grumbled and bought it any ways, jumping back into my car to rush back to the Hulett House Gym.

But, what did I discover upon my return? The 2CR5 that Radio Shack sold me–their own brand, of course–is so weak that the ST-E2 did not turn on at first, and then, once it did, it allowed me to get one photograph before pausing to recycle for six or seven seconds. This is a transmitter. It has NEVER had a recycling time in the past.

To my horror, I realized I hadn’t packed a TTL cord in my bag, and I had to bounce the flash off of the ceiling of the room while mounted on camera. I know that you just shuddered from reading that–believe me, it wasn’t easy to do!

I am left to wonder if this is a battery format that is simply on its way out. I am going to order some (name brand) batteries online and also try to return the Radio Shack P.O.S. battery tomorrow. In the mean time, I do wonder about the future of the 2CR5, and with it, the Canon ST-E2.

Tags: Canon, equipment, warnings
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So, this is not a great, in-depth interview, but it is rather a practice run at setting up constant light sources, positioning the interview subject, and finally recording, capturing, and editing the result.

I asked Jarrad Henderson, the subject of my earlier portrait studio work, what constitutes the most exotic food he’s had in his lifetime.

Shot on a Canon HV20 with a Sennheiser wireless microphone running through a BeachTek mini to XLR box. Lit with LitePanels LED floods.

Tags: Advanced Techniques, Canon, interview, light, lighting, lit, video
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Last night I was experimenting with the higher range of ISO’s on the 5D Mark II.  As a previous owner of the original 5D, I can say that the improvement in sensitivity versus noise is significant.  It’s still not a Nikon D3, but it’s very useful.  ISO 3200 is very usable, and I’ve made a few images at ISO 6400 that are not objectionable, but do lack some detail.  From my experience over the past month and a half, I think ISO 4000 represents the best compromise in terms of high ISO and preservation of detail.

Below is a photograph captured with the 85mm f/1.8, exposed 1/200 sec. @ f/1.8, ISO 4000

Watching darts with a candy neck tie, McNally's Irish Pub, 22 Feb. 2009, Columbia, Mo.

And for the pixel peepers, a 100% crop from her face (after the jump)…

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Canon, EOS 5D Mark II, high ISO
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For sale is a Really Right Stuff L-bracket for the Canon 5D body with the BGE4 battery grip attached. Note that this grip will not fit without the BGE4 mounted to the body. This is for Arca-Swiss style mounts (Wimberley, Really Right Stuff, Kirk Enterprises, Arca Swiss, etc.).

I leave L-brackets on the body at virtually all times, but this one only has a few signs of wear were the corner of the body would be. I’ve posted only one picture here, but I have many more here: www.david-kennedy.com/bracket. Also included is the allen key to screw the bracket into place.

I am asking for $110.00 (including shipping) to anywhere in North America (US, Canada, Mexico). $120.00 to anywhere in the world. I will accept PayPal.

This bracket has sold as of 12/2/2008.  Thanks for looking!

Tags: Canon, equipment, for sale, Really Right Stuff
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UPDATE: SOLD (sort of)

Canon 5D for sale!

I’ve decided to put myself on a wait list for the new Canon 5D Mk II coming out later in November, so I have decided to sell my 5D.  I’ve owned it since May 2006 and it has been a very good, reliable camera.  The 12.8 megapixel files are phenomenal.

I have cleaned the camera thoroughly, and have also replaced its viewfinder screen and superimposed indicator plate so the view is dust-free.  It really will feel like looking through a new camera.

I’m including two batteries, the original packaging, manual, software, cables, un-used Canon strap, charger, etc.

I am asking $1,600 including insured FedEx Ground delivery in the continental United States, and a small fee of $5.00 for shipping to Hawaii or Alaska.  I am willing to ship world-wide, however.  For more photos of the camera body, please look at the small gallery I have set up here: http://www.david-kennedy.com/5d.

Please e-mail me at dk@david-kennedy.com if you are interested in the camera, or would like more information on shipping rates beyond the United States.  Thanks so much for looking!

Price reduced 9 November 2008

Update – 12 November:

I believe that I have tripped the shutter around 30,000 times.  The shutter is  supposed to be rated for 100,000 actuations, so either way, the camera is less  than half-way through its service life.  If there was software to view the  actuation count–like there is the the 1D series (such as CanCount)–I would  post an exact number.  Unfortunately, my understanding is that the only reliable  way to determine the exact number of shutter actuatioons is to send it to  Canon.  (If you know of another way, please let me know!)

Tags: Canon, equipment, sales
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I am not certain to what extent it is common knowledge that Canon’s teleconverters (TC’s) can develop problems with their locking pins. Specifically, that the locking pin becomes “sticky” and does not always engage into the lens to which it is being attached.  This past April, on Artie Morris’ Fort DeSoto, Florida IPT, one participant’s Canon DSLR and 1.4x TC fell off of his 500mm lens.  The TC’s faulty locking pin, which never engaged into the 500mm lens, led a counter-clockwise turn of the camera and lens (via the lens’ tripod collar) to become a near disaster.  Thanks to a flash cord attached to the camera’s hot shoe, the camera splashed in the salt water but bounced back up and later recovered–it was never wholly submerged.

Ever since that event, I’ve been far more aware of the condition of all of my Canon TC’s and extension tubes.  I noticed shortly thereafter that my 1.4x II TC’s locking pin began to engage only half of the time.  Pushing the lever forward would force it to work, but did not constitute a fix.  Finally, I sent it to Canon Jamesburg at the very end of April and had it repaired for $70.00.  However, the fix did not last!

This November at Bosque del Apache I noticed that the locking pin was developing the problem that Canon repaired at the end of the spring.  It had been six months and three weeks: three weeks outside of Canon’s warranty on all repairs.  The good news–and kudos to Canon–is that sending it in with a letter explaining the problem, and a copy of the dated invoice from the repair in April, led them to repair the TC free of charge.

Just let it serve as a warning: if anything is not working as it should, and it is of enough concern that you need to remind yourself whenever using it to exercise caution because it could break, just get it fixed!  The last thing you want is to lose a $4000 camera body because you didn’t want to pay for a $70 repair.

Tags: Canon, locking pins, problems, repairs, tele extender, teleconverter, warnings
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